Always Been You | Tony Stark

Captiolo (21) Ventiuno ~ Schooled

"Like this?" I asked, putting the last piece in place.

"Yeah, perfect," Tony said, leaning over the model.

"You know how lucky you are that Happy didn't go with Peper to her meeting? How would you have gotten this if not for him?"

"Um, make you drive my car with it home while I grabbed a taxi?" I rolled my eyes with a small smirk, a bit pleased that he said he would have been the one in the taxi. "Jarvis, could you kindly Vac-U-Form a digital wireframe? I need a manipulatable projection."

I watched as Tony leaned back, snapping his fingers and fidgeting with his hands as Jarvis wordlessly scanned the model.

"1974 Stark Expo model scan complete, sir."

"Uh, how many buildings are there?" Tony lifted the projection in the air, moving it to the side.

"Am I to include the Belgian waffle stands?"

"That was rhetorical. Just show me." Tony pushed the projection away from him, snapping and pointing his finger to get it to spin. He went over and grabbed one of his stools as the projection slowed down, now perpendicular to the ground.

"What does that look like to you, Peg? Not unlike an atom, right?" I walked over to get a closer look at what he was seeing.

"Yeah, in which case the nucleus would be here." I pointed at the center part of the projection, where the statue of the globe on an axis would be displayed.

"Highlight the Unisphere." Jarvis did as asked, making the once blue part glow yellow as I took a step back.

Tony circled the ball, then clapped his hands together and separated them to make it enlarge.

"Lose the footpaths. Get rid of them." He swiped them away from the projection.

"What is it you're trying to achieve, sir?"

"I'm discovering... uh correction, I'm rediscovering a new element, I believe."

"What?" I looked at Tony, confused.

"Yeah... let's lose the landscaping, the shrubbery, the trees." Tony swiped them all away, making them disappear.

"Don't forget parking lots, exits, and entrances," I mumbled, watching him work.

"You heard the lady." He swiped them away, messing with a few other details. "Structure the protons and the neutrons using the pavilions as framework." Tony started to get quiet as he made everything expand again, rubbing his face as it all came together. He patted his lap and threw his hands up, making it expand over part of the room.

I looked around in awe at the blue projections around me.

"Dead for almost 20 years, and still taking me to school." Tony started chuckling as he spun around in his chair. He then clapped his hands together, minimizing the projection to fit in the palm of his hand.

"The proposed element should serve as a viable replacement for palladium."

"Thanks, Dad," Tony mumbled as I came up behind him.

"Is that it?"

"Let's hope so."

"Unfortunately, it is impossible to synthesize."

"Uh-huh." Tony stood up, leaving the projection hovering in the air. "Get ready for a major remodel, fellas! We're back in hardware mode."

~~

"Come on, Peg put your back in it!"

"Isn't it rude to yell at the disabled?" I glared at him. "Especially one with a sledgehammer."

"Um, yeah, right. Just... keep up the good work?" Tony looked like he wasn't sure if that was the right answer since he cringed at his own words.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the stone wall, readjusting the hammer in my grip and giving it one last big swing that resulted in a giant hole in the wall. I turned around with an eyebrow raised and the hammer resting on my shoulder as I watched Tony look both amazed and terrified at the same time.

"I- wow... I would hate to be on your bad side."

"You have. Several different times."

"Right. I think this has been seared into my brain enough that I might actually start thinking twice about stuff."

"I highly doubt that, Tony."

"He- okay yeah maybe your right."

"Aren't I always?" I asked as I went over to the door. "I'm going to the kitchen real quick. You want anything?" I looked over to Tony who had this strange smirk on his face. "What?"

"Huh? Oh, um no. No, I'm all good." I looked him up and down, confused by his behavior.

"Yeah, I'll get you some water. I think you need it."

~~

It had been a few days now and Tony and I were putting the finishing touches on his machine thing that would hopefully help create the particle accelerator. My head shot up towards the door as I heard someone open it, seeing Agent Coulson walking threw.

"I heard you broke the perimeter."

"Uh yeah. That was, like, three years ago. Lynn even went with me. Where you been?"

"I was doing some stuff."

"Yeah, well, us too, and it worked," Tony said as the agent walked more into the room, going over to look into one of the open crates. "Hey, I'm playing for the home team, Coulson. You and all your Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Now, are you gonna let us work or break my balls?" Tony asked as I put the level in place, furrowing my brows when it was off.

"What's this doing here?" I looked up at Coulson, who was holding what looked like an unfinished shield.

"That's it. I need that." I perked up. "Come here. Help me out."

"You know what this is?" Coulson asked walking over.

"I think it's what I need for this to work properly." I took the shield from his hands, looking at it before looking over at Tony. "Right?"

"Yeah, yeah try it out. Coulson, help her out. Lift the coil." Tony pointed, walking over and standing on the other side of the agent. "On the count of three, got it? One, two, three. Okay go, go. Put your knees into it. There you go."

The men lifted the coil just enough that I was able to slide the shield into place.

"Okay, okay I got it!" I cheered as they let go, putting the level back on top. "Perfectly level." I smiled.

"Nice job." Tony smiled at me, before looking back at Coulson and going back to his usual frown. "We're busy. What do you want?" I hit Tony's chest.

"Nothing. Goodbye. I've been reassigned."

"Huh."

"Director Fury wants me in New Mexico."

"Fantastic. Land of Enchantment."

"So I'm told."

"I was stationed there for a little while. It's nice. Hot. But nice." I shrugged, offering a smile, which Coulson reciprocated with a nod.

"Secret Stuff?"

"Something like that. Good luck."

"Bye." The two shook hands.

"We need you."

"Yeah, more than you know," Tony smirked.

"Not that much," Coulson smirked back, the two letting go of the other's hands. Coulson then turned to me.

"Miss. Lynn. It was nice seeing you again." He held his hand out for me, offering me a smile that I gladly copied. 

"It was good seeing you too, Agent Coulson. I hope whatever happens in New Mexico is at least interesting."

"Hopefully it will." He nodded, before walking to the door. He was one foot out of it when he poked his head back in, shouting out to Tony, "Oh, and I'll tell your Aunt Liv you said 'hi'!" and then shutting the door, walking up the stairs.

"What did he say about my aunt?"

"Um, I'm not sure. How about we ignore him and get this started." I patted Tony's shoulder as he continued to stare off at the door.